When our work began, two of the four original diesel generators were removed by the shipyard and Siemens Energy added our BlueVault Energy Storage system, creating 5.7 MWh in total energy storage. Now, a Siemens Energy Power Management system directs power output when needed and stores energy when it isn’t. The Siemens Energy Charge Management System was installed in the Wenatchee and will be installed in all hybrid vessels as well as each electrified terminal. The Charge Management System will manage the connection between the vessel and the shore. When charging stations are installed at a later date, the Wenatchee is prepared to connect to them. With the advanced propulsion systems now installed, the Wenatchee will significantly reduce emissions, reduce fuel consumption, and reduce maintenance costs, setting a benchmark for future conversions. Once the shore plug-in system is installed, the Wenatchee and all future hybrid ferries will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 76 percent.
From Seattle, I get on I-5 North and take 520 over Lake Washington to Redmond. This is the home of Microsoft and where Nintendo has their US headquarters. In 2024, Siemens Energy opened a new turbomachinery laboratory there focused on developing and testing technologies to support industrial decarbonization.
Here, we work with factories that make pulp and paper, which is a high-temperature process. Last year, the state of Washington gave us a grant to develop a transportable, electrically powered Turbo Heater. This novel technology generates high-temperature process heat without fuel combustion and has the ability to help decarbonize the pulp and paper industry, as well as other sectors that have traditionally had large emissions.
Cutting-edge innovation is what this area of the country is known for, so we fit right in. Our team in Redmond is also working on a rotating olefins cracker and an advanced rotor hydrogen compressor – more turbomachines that will reduce industrial emissions.
